From Solidarity to Partnership: BDO in Ukraine Co-Organizes the Diaspora Side Event at URC 2026


On 24 June 2026, the side event “Ukrainians Abroad: Engaging the Diaspora and Facilitating Voluntary Return” took place in Gdańsk as part of the Ukraine Recovery Conference 2026 (URC 2026). The event was organized by the Ministry of Social Policy, Family and Unity of Ukraine together with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), ICMPD, BDO in Ukraine, GIZ and UNHCR.



Speakers — including Deputy Minister Ilona Havronska, EU Special Envoy for Ukrainians Ylva Johansson and IOM Chief of Mission in Ukraine Robert Turner — discussed how to keep millions of Ukrainians abroad connected to their country and how to turn that connection into a practical contribution to recovery. The event presented the concept of the Dodomu (“Homeward”) digital platform and the progress of the Diaspora Alliance for Recovery of Ukraine, which today unites 41 member organizations and partners.

For BDO in Ukraine, the event is part of a systematic effort in the business dimension of diaspora cooperation: the firm's President, Alla Savchenko, co-chairs the Alliance's business working group.
 

“The diaspora has already proven it can help — quickly, generously and in an organized way. The harder next step is turning solidarity into economic partnership: investment, trade, joint ventures. That is exactly what the Alliance's business working group is for — removing the practical barriers that keep good intentions from becoming signed agreements,” says Alla Savchenko.


Participants in the panel discussion at the URC 2026 side event in Gdańsk discuss engaging the Ukrainian diaspora in Ukraine’s recovery, developing partnerships, investments, and the voluntary return of Ukrainians
BDO's practical contribution is the new, free AI Grant Guide for Ukrainian Diaspora Organizations. It helps diaspora organizations — including small volunteer teams — use AI tools to identify funding opportunities, prepare strong applications and report to donors. The guide builds on the methodology BDO in Ukraine already applies in training Ukrainian municipalities to work with grants.

Cover of the AI Grant Guide for Ukrainian Diaspora Organizations by BDO in Ukraine, which helps diaspora organizations find grants, prepare applications, and report to donors using AI
 
DOWNLOAD the GUIDE

Learn more about the Diaspora Alliance for Recovery of Ukraine.

If your organization or company is considering diaspora-related projects in Ukraine — grant programmes, investment, partnerships — the BDO in Ukraine team is ready to help.
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Key Findings:

  • Diaspora cooperation is shifting from humanitarian solidarity to a systematic economic partnership—through investment, trade, joint ventures, and projects to rebuild Ukraine.
  • The key objective is to maintain the connection between millions of Ukrainians abroad and Ukraine, and to create practical mechanisms for their voluntary return and participation in the country’s reconstruction.
  • The Diaspora Alliance for Ukraine’s Recovery, which brings together 41 member organizations and partners, serves as an international platform for coordinating diaspora initiatives, businesses, and government institutions.
  • BDO in Ukraine is systematically developing its diaspora cooperation business line, helping to overcome barriers between promising ideas and the implementation of specific investment and partnership projects.
  • The free AI Grant Guide for Ukrainian Diaspora Organizations provides diaspora organizations with practical tools for finding grants, preparing applications, and reporting to donors using artificial intelligence.

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Key Contact

Alla Savchenko

Alla Savchenko

President / Senior Partner
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